According to legend, a certain West Coast radio evangelist would customarily close his broadcasts by praying over the air, "O God, we ask that today you would touch the hearts of those in 'Radioland' to support this worldwide ministry. We pray that you would move them mightily to send offerings of love, and to send them to Post Office Box 345, Pasadena, California."

Though he was particularly crass about it, this minister was actually committing a fairly common mistake in worship leadership -- praying to the congregation. This liturgical faux pas occurs whenever a worship leader loses sight of the fact that the true audience of prayer is God and not the congregation overhearing and joining in the prayer. Prayers may be poetic, but they are not poetry recitals for an audience; they may be …